Donald Trump’s presidential campaign raised substantially more money than Joe Biden’s last month, new figures show.
The Republican candidate received £111m in contributions during May – with tens of millions sent after he was convicted of falsifying business records.
A New York jury found Trump guilty of covering up a “hush money” payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels – with one billionaire donating £39.5m after the verdict was reached.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
1:30
Trump slams ‘rigged’ trial and ‘devil’ judge
Trump’s campaign has refused to confirm how much cash it has in the bank, prompting critics to suggest the embattled politician is spending heavily on legal fees.
By contrast, Mr Biden raised £67m in May – about 40% less – with official records showing the Democrats have £167m on hand for the election battle.
Julie Chavez Rodriguez, who manages the Biden campaign, said: “The money we continue to raise matters, and it’s helping the campaign build out an operation that invests in reaching and winning the voters who will decide this election – a stark contrast to Trump’s PR stunts and photo ops that he’s pretending is a campaign.”
The latest figures show how the rules of US politics are changing. While a presidential candidate would have once had to bow out of the race after being convicted of felonies, Trump’s verdict led to a surge in financial support.
He will now likely use this cash to ramp up advertising and attempt to appeal to voters in swing states as November’s ballot draws closer.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
0:40
Biden freezes during holiday celebrations
Fundraising data for June is yet to emerge – with a glitzy fundraiser attended by film stars and former president Barack Obama netting over £23m for the Democrats last weekend.
Billionaire Michael Bloomberg has also donated £15m to pro-Biden groups, and formally endorsed the sitting president on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Trump has been increasingly turning to cryptocurrencies as he attempts to fill his campaign war chest.
He once described Bitcoin as a “scam” with value based on thin air – but in a sharp U-turn, has now declared he wants to be the “crypto president” and support the industry.
Follow Sky News on WhatsApp
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Trump is the first major candidate in a US election to accept crypto donations – and earlier this week, there were unsubstantiated rumours he had launched his own digital asset, causing demand for “TrumpCoin” to surge.
On Thursday, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss – crypto billionaires best known for accusing Mark Zuckerberg of stealing the idea for Facebook from them – donated £1.6m in Bitcoin to Trump, describing him as “pro-Bitcoin, pro-crypto and pro-business”.
US president-elect Donald Trump has refused to rule out military or economic action to seize the Panama Canal and Greenland – as he said he believes NATO spending should be increased to 5% per member state.
Speaking at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, Mr Trump made a series of sweeping claims on what his policies could look like when he takes office on 20 January.
He said he believes NATO spending should be increased to 5% per member state, while he also declared US control of Greenland and the Panama Canal as vital to American national security.
The 78-year-old Republican also spoke of relations with Canada, as well as addressing his position on the Middle East and the war in Ukraine.
Sky News takes a look at some of the key claims brought up during the conference.
NATO
Mr Trump claimed “nobody knows more about NATO than I do”, before adding: “If it weren’t for me, NATO wouldn’t exist right now.
More on Donald Trump
Related Topics:
“I raised from countries that weren’t paying their bills, over $680bn. I saved NATO, but NATO is taking advantage of us.”
The president-elect also said members of NATOshould be contributing 5% of their GDPs (gross domestic product) to defence spending – the previous target has been 2%.
Image: Donald Trump speaking at Mar-a-Lago. Pic: Reuters
Greenland and Panama Canal
Asked if he can reassure the world he won’t resort to military action or economic coercion in trying to get control of the areas, he said: “No, I can’t assure you on either of those two.”
“But, I can say this, we need them for economic security.”
He didn’t add any further detail around Greenland – which he has recently suggested the US should own or control – but he said the Panama Canal “was built for our military”.
He said the canal was “vital” to the country and China was “operating” it.
Mr Trump criticised the late Jimmy Carter for his role in signing over the Panama Canal to Panama during his presidency, saying it’s “a disgrace what took place” and “Jimmy Carter gave it to them for one dollar.”
Canada
A day after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he was stepping down, Mr Trump said he believed the US’ northern neighbour should become the 51st US state.
He mocked Mr Trudeau by calling him “governor” rather than prime minister.
He argued the US and Canada combined would amount to an “economic force” that would “really be something”.
“There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States,” Mr Trudeau responded.
Israel-Hamas war
Israel has been waging a 15-month war on the militant group ruling Gaza, Hamas, since they launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October which saw 1,200 people massacred and about 250 taken hostage, many of whom remain in captivity.
Mr Trump said: “If those hostages aren’t back by the time I get into office, all hell will break out in the Middle East.”
Nearly 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s assault on Gaza, according to Hamas-run health officials in the enclave.
Referring to Russia’s ongoing full-scale war against its smaller neighbour, Mr Trump said a “big part of the problem” was Russian President Vladimir Putin had said for many years he did not want Ukraine involved with NATO.
“Somewhere along the line [outgoing President Joe] Biden said you can join NATO,” he said.
“Well, then Russia has NATO right on their doorstep.
“When I heard the way Biden was negotiating I said ‘you are going to end up in a war’ and it turned out to be a war.”
Asked if he would commit to keep supporting Ukraine during negotiations with Moscow, Mr Trump quipped: “Well, I wouldn’t tell you if that were the case.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Firefighters in California are battling a fast-moving wildfire which is sweeping an exclusive Los Angeles hillside dotted with celebrity homes.
Officials say the wildfire is being fanned by gusts from a “life-threatening” and “destructive” wind storm that is battering southern California.
Image: Pic: AP
Image: Pic: AP
Fire crews are battling a handful of small blazes in the Los Angeles area, including in the foothills of the Pacific Palisades, between Santa Monica and Malibu.
Around 30,000 residents have been ordered to evacuate.
The smoke cloud from the flames is so high, it can be seen from LA’s famous Venice Beach, more than six miles away.
Actor James Woods has shared footage of flames burning through bushes and past palm trees on a hill near his Pacific Palisades home.
Image: Smoke from a wildfire is seen from Venice Beach. Pic: AP
Meanwhile, actor Steve Guttenberg, who also lives in the area, has been helping to move parked cars to make way for fire engines.
“This is not a parking lot,” he told local media.
“I have friends up there and they can’t evacuate… I’m walking up there as far as I can moving cars.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
0:33
Wildfire reaches California houses
Kristin Crowley, fire chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department, said the area was experiencing “extreme fire weather conditions” and that more than 250 firefighters were currently attempting to battle the blaze.
She said the fire was initially reported as a 10-acre fire, but, fanned by 40mph winds, had since spread to more than 1,200 acres “and growing”.
Ms Crowley added that the job of firefighters in tackling the blaze was being made “extremely challenging” due to “strong winds and surrounding topography”.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
A soldier who exploded a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas used generative AI – including ChatGPT – to help plan the attack, police have said.
Police in Las Vegas say they have now reviewed Livelsberger’s ChatGPT searches prior to the explosion.
According to officers, the searches indicate he was looking for information on explosive targets, the speed at which certain rounds of ammunition would travel, and whether fireworks were legal in Arizona.
Image: Matthew Alan Livelsberger
Kevin McMahill, sheriff of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, called Livelsberger’s use of generative AI in planning the attack a “game changer”.
“This is the first incident that I’m aware of on US soil where ChatGPT is utilised to help an individual build a particular device,” he said.
The notes touched on political grievances, societal problems and domestic and international issues, including the war in Ukraine.
However, according to officials, Livelsberger harboured no ill will toward president-elect Donald Trump and in one of the notes he left, he said the country needed to “rally around” him and Tesla boss Elon Musk.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
0:59
What was inside exploded Cybertruck?
He also left mobile phone notes saying he needed to “cleanse” his mind “of the brothers I’ve lost and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took”.
Image: The Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. File pic: Reuters
The FBI said Livelsberger, who had served in the army since 2006 and was deployed twice to Afghanistan, likely suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and that there were “potential other family issues or personal grievances in his own life” that may have been “contributing factors”.
Authorities said that Livelsberger, from Colorado Springs, Colorado, acted alone and that the incident appeared likely to be a “tragic case of suicide”.
The explosion caused minor injuries to seven people but virtually no damage to the Trump International Hotel.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.